Automatic switch for railroad-tracks



' (N0 Modem r F. WATSON 8: .R. P. GARSED. 7 AUTOMATIC 'SWITGH' FOR RAILROAD TRACKS.

. Patented July 19, 1881 its! n PETERS. mwumom nn. Wlohlnginn, ma

5o removable hand lever, which is pushed from UNITED: STA ES" PATENT ()FFIcE.

F ANK'wATsoN, or PHILADELPHIA, AND ROBERT ReARsED, or nonnrsrown, PENNsYLvANIA.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH FOR RAILROAD-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,700, dated July 19, 1881.

Application filed August 16, 1880. (No model.) I v To all whom it, may concern Be it known that we, FRANK WATSON, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, and ROBERT P. GARSED, of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, both citizens of the United States, have invented-a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Operating Railroad-Switches,whichimprovement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of the switch embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

Our invention consists of a circuit-forming rod or lever, in combination with the switchrails which are connected to automaticallymoving devices having a holding-lever, whereby, by the action of an approaching train, the lever may be released by electric action and the switch quickly shifted, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent the switch-rails, and A A the rails of the main line.

B represents an electro-magnet, and B an armature of catch form above the same, both being connected to a suitable support in a pit, F, near the switch-rails.

G represents an upright lever pivoted to a wall of the pit, having at its lower end a tongue, F, which is adapted to engage with the nose of the armature B, and at its upper end a notch or shoulder for engagement with the end-d of a pivoted lever, D, whose sup.- port rises from the base of the pit or other proper part thereof, the other end of the lever being weighted or pressed down by means of a suitable spring. To the end (1 of the lever is attached an arm, E, which, in the present case, is in the form of a slotted segment, through the slot of which is passed a pin or stud, E, projectingfrom the eonnecting bar E of the switch-rails A A.

According .to the drawings, the switch is shifted to the left and open to the main line, this having been accomplished by means of a the position F to the left to the position F,

the end d of the lever being engaged by the top of the lever G. 7

At the side of one of the main rails, sufficiently removed from the end of the switch, is a head, a, which, supported on an upright rod, a, in a suitable pit, is so located and supported that it may be struck. by the foward' car-wheel and thereby depressed. The lower end of the rod carries an electric wire, a, and is adapted to come in contact with the connecting-point a of an electric wire, 00.

It willbe seen that when the train approaches and the switch requires shifting, when the head a is depressed, the rod a is'moved against the point 00, and an electric circuit is thereby formed, the result whereof is to attract the armature B, which, being moved, is disengaged from the tongue F of the lever G. The spring I), which bears against the tongue F at the lower end of the lever G, forces by sudden impulse said tongue and end to the right sufficient to begin the release of the end d of the lever D, and as said lever G is no longer controlled by the armature B the weighted lever D, pressing against the top of the lever G, completely clears its end d from the lever G.

The stronger spring 12, which bears against the lower end of the lever G, opposite to the spring b, resists the movement of the lever G, and when the end d has cleared the top of the latter said spring b forces back the lower end of the lever. When the rod or is released of pressure and caused to rise by the action of a spring suitably applied the circuit is broken, and the armature is restored to its first posi tion, ready to lock the tongue F. As soon as the lever D is released it moves and carries with it the arm E, so that the switch-rails are shifted, in the present case, to the right, and thereby communicate with the rails of the main line, thus closing the switch.

When the switch-rails are to be shifted to the left to communicate -say to the side-the handle or key at F. is inserted in the leverD and moved to the position F. The end 01 of the lever-D forces back the top of the lever G until it drops into or against the notch or shoul der of the lever, and thus engages with the same, it being noticed that as the top of the Ice lever is forced back the tongue F, which is in contact with the head of the armature B and connected to thelever Gr, yields, owing to its elastic nature, and so permits the movement of said lever G. The hand lever or keyis now removed and the train may pass to the siding, and when desired the switch may be operated to the right, as before stated.

The device described is employed for trains passing in one direction of the line, and may be duplicated and adapted for operation of the switch by trains comin gin the opposite direction.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The switch-rails, in combination with the automatically-shifting lever D, holding-lever G, the armature B, electro-magnet B, and the circuit-closing rod a, substantially as and for 20 the purpose set forth.

2. The switch-rails, in combination with the circuit-forming rod a, the electro-magnet B, armature B, lever G, springs b b, the shifting-lever D, and connection E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The switch-rails, in combination with the shifting-lever D, the holding-lever G, provided with the tongue F, and springs b b, the armature B, electro-magnet B, and circuit-forming devices, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRANK WATSON. R. P. GARSED.

Witnesses:

ALEXANDER RIGKEY, R. BINNY MUNN. 

